Filenews 3 December 2023 - by Despina Psillou
AHEPA University Hospital Cyprus hopes to write a history in the health sector and in the hospital care of the country. This institution will be housed in the IMC mansion (18,000 sqm) at the entrance of Nicosia, with works for its configuration starting next January.
AHEPA Cyprus is expected to operate in the first half of 2025 within the GHS, as the first fully accredited university hospital in Cyprus. It will have, among other things, 100 clinics, 200 beds, 10 operating rooms, state-of-the-art medical equipment. At the same time, it will operate as a research center and as a digitally "smart" hospital, while it will be in collaboration with AHEPA Thessaloniki and the medical community worldwide, under the support of the AHEPA World Brotherhood. The project was announced a few days ago at a press conference by Vivant Medical Investments PLC. As underlined, it is the largest private, fully accredited, university hospital in Cyprus, which will have state-of-the-art infrastructure and state-of-the-art medical equipment and will operate within the framework of the GHS.
The entire investment, including the value of the conversion of the building into a hospital, with the latest generation technological infrastructure and the most modern medical and other equipment, amounts to €80 million.
AHEPA Cyprus will provide both inpatient and outpatient services and will include:
– 100 clinics and examination rooms for outpatients covering all medical specialties and specializations.
– Approximately 200 inpatient healthcare beds, including Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds
– 10 operating rooms fully equipped with the latest for performing all types of operations and 2 rooms / laboratories for catheterization of cardiovascular and other diseases.
– Accident and Emergency Department (TAEP), fully equipped and staffed.
– Specialized and equipped Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation departments, with 20 beds.
– Complete radiology laboratory with latest generation equipment, MRI, CT scanners etc.
– Complete clinical laboratory, haematological and biochemical analyses.
– Rooms / laboratories for conducting examinations for each specialty, such as endoscopy, gastroscopic, colonoscopy, urology laboratory, cardiology etc.
AHEPA Cyprus will also have social networking and offer points, such as conference space, lecture halls, quality high-end restaurant space and kiosk.
High standard Research Center
AHEPA Cyprus will have research areas (basic and applied, clinical research). It will be the first to establish an in-house research center, with the aim of developing spinouts for new pioneering medical technology and biotechnology.
Digital smart hospital
This hospital will be suitable for the operating environment of the future. This, among other things, means a) creating an internal patient-centred health system. b) Investments in the use of smart devices and systems for digitally enabled patient care that will fully support the creation of a digital health unit. c) The creation of a data center and a software development unit that will make full use of medical infrastructure and results, thus creating the basis for the development of innovative products and services and smart operational efficiency with the patient in mind.
Full accreditation under US supervision
The certification of the new hospital has been entrusted to the American organization "The Joint Commission International", which will act as general counsel at all stages of its planning and operation.
The accreditation of a hospital institution, as mentioned, means that the chances of presenting misleading results of analyses of positive or incorrect negative data from any of the machines are significantly reduced, since all equipment will be regularly monitored for its accuracy and calibrated at short intervals.
Cyprus, it was underlined, is among the European countries with the highest rate of hospital-acquired infections and does not seem to be improving for years. One of the most important reasons for this is the fact that there are no fully or properly accredited hospitals and clinics in the country.
The benefits of accreditation include, in summary, improving the quality of results, providing timely and accurate diagnosis and treatment. At the same time, accreditation means eliminating nosocomial infections, which are responsible for the loss of life. It means state-of-the-art and the best possible provision of clinical support to people in need, both in terms of engineering and staff.
Agreement with European University Cyprus in the works
Professor Dr. Ioannis Patrikios, member of the board of directors and scientific committee of Vivant Medical Investments (VMI) and deputy dean of the Medical School of European University, referred to the prospect of an agreement with European University Cyprus for inpatient clinical training for students of medicine, nursing, physiotherapy, radiology technologists and other related disciplines. AHEPA Cyprus will have the absolute specifications for its transformation into the first private University Hospital in Cyprus as soon as the legislation allows it, he underlined.
What differentiates AHEPA Cyprus is that it will be a hospital that will be pleasant to patients and visitors, which will inspire employees and doctors. "A hospital of tomorrow, through community engagement and technology," he said, adding the creation of a sustainable, environmentally friendly, hospital community.
The multiple benefits for the community, in addition to improving the quality of hospital care, were mentioned the employment of health professionals and the development of partnerships. The provision of larger patient rooms and operating room suites. The utilization of technology. The reduction in the duration of inpatient stay, the reduction of hospital infections, medical and diagnostic errors, patient movements, etc.
"The Hospital will be equipped with medical and diagnostic equipment of the highest technological standards and will apply the most advanced and strict operational protocols, aiming to become the first fully accredited hospital in Cyprus to operate in the General Health System (GHS)," he said and underlined: "Accreditation, in addition, will allow Cyprus to enter the medical tourism market."
The existence of a University Hospital in Cyprus will also lead to the upgrading of the services offered, as university professors will be appointed as clinic directors according to their specialization and will contribute to the further development of the hospital's advantages. "This will go a long way towards ensuring participation in clinical studies and research programmes, expanding research excellence and state-of-the-art medical infrastructure."
Interesting for a four-star hotel
Andreas Kaisis, founder and shareholder of Vivant Medical Investments, referred to the expression of interest by tourism entrepreneurs to invest in the area and build a 4-star hotel, so that the relatives of patients from Cyprus and abroad can stay there. "It is with great pleasure that I watch a lifelong dream come true," he said, adding, among other things, that "interconnection and multilevel cooperation with the AHEPA University Hospital of Thessaloniki, combined with modern facilities and state-of-the-art equipment, framed by distinguished professors and staffed with doctors and scientific staff of international scope, will provide the required infrastructure and conditions to the medical schools of universities for the practical training of their students, tomorrow's doctors, in an environment that will not lag behind the great university hospitals of Europe". Despite the fact that we have highly trained and experienced doctors, many of whom excel internationally, however, he said, we lack organization, infrastructure, controls and special protocols, due to the fact that we are probably the only country in the European Union that does not have accredited hospitals.
The latest in equipment
"The medical equipment available in the new hospital will be the most modern currently available in the global market, and will allow for the most accurate, faster and as less invasive diagnosis and treatment of patients," said Christakis Partasides, chairman of the board of directors of Vivant Medical Investments. He also spoke of huge benefits in cooperating with the AHEPA fraternity, as it gives access to AHEPA's global network of health professionals, which includes doctors, academics, researchers and scientists involved in the health sector.
Under the name of AHEPA
"We lend our own name, with great recognition. The brand name is important", noted the High President of the AHEPA World Brotherhood, Savvas Tsivikos, who played a catalytic role in the conclusion of a strategic cooperation agreement between AHEPA and Vivant Medical Investments, as well as in the cooperation between the two AHEPA hospitals. "A historic moment for the health sector, which will put Cyprus on the map. It is something pioneering and unique", he said and confirmed the support of the World Brotherhood for the creation of AHEPA University Hospital of Cyprus. "It is a great responsibility to lead the largest organization of Hellenism," he noted, adding that they have 101 years of history and many decades of involvement with hospital care in institutions such as AHEPA Thessaloniki, Venizelio, Evangelismos etc.
Cooperation with AHEPA Thessaloniki
"Cyprus is a key geopolitical point in many areas. We expect it to happen in the health sector as well. The new hospital will be a jewel, not only for the Cypriot people, but for the whole world", noted Dr. Alfred Barich, member of the Board of Directors of AHEPA University Hospital of Thessaloniki. The prospects for the hospital are not only for patient care, but also for research, both as such and in collaboration with other international research centers. "There will be a transfer of know-how and further training seminars, so that time does not have to pass to equate the new hospital with the existing one in Thessaloniki. The development will be rapid." Besides, he noted, they will have joint participation in European programs and international clinical studies at all levels, with the aim of implementing phase III studies that certify innovations in therapeutic approaches.
